


Around the Clock

by MCmondo



Category: NCIS
Genre: F/M, Family, Friendship, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-04
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:47:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26289715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MCmondo/pseuds/MCmondo
Summary: A series of one-shots based around certain hours in the day, and containing our favourite duo. T/Z
Relationships: Ziva David/Anthony DiNozzo
Comments: 5
Kudos: 24





	1. 0500

**Author's Note:**

> First chapter is set in season 10, maybe?

''Whose bright idea was it to do this at 0500?''

Ziva pulled her foot up to her backside to stretch her right quad. ''You said you wanted to get in shape.''

Tony grumbled from the step he was sat on. ''That doesn't answer my question.'' The laces on his sneakers seemed to be giving him some trouble, and his breath frosted in the morning air each time he yawned down at them. ''Did I agree to this? I don't remember agreeing to this.''

Her foot dropped to the ground with a thud. ''I have the text messages to prove it.''

''Past me is an idiot.''

''If I had known it would take you half an hour to put on your shoes, I would have made it earlier.''

Tony lifted his face up to scowl at her, and she deliberately put her hands on her hips and raised a single eyebrow in challenge. The quip she was expecting never came, though. He simply grunted and got back to the task at hand. The second set of laces were finally tied, and he got to his feet with a slight wince and a rather unpleasant pop in his knee. He looked like the last person she'd expect to see out running at this time of the morning.

Ziva tried to reel in her smirk but Tony—being Tony—spotted it, even when he was at his least functional.

''What?''

She shook her head. ''I did not say anything.''

''You were smiling,'' he pointed at her mouth, eyes narrowing. ''And thinking.''

''Oh,'' she drawled. ''So you can see me thinking now?''

His response to this was to stand up straight, at full height, and take a deep breath. His hands were on his hips and Ziva could have sworn he was sucking in his gut slightly. ''I am a very special agent,'' he bragged, although she just rolled her eyes at the bravado that she knew was false. ''I can always see when someone's thinking. It's my job.''

She chuckled at the ground as she stretched her left quad. ''Is that so?''

''Especially you.''

Admittedly, Ziva's insides warmed after she'd heard those words, because there was an implication behind them that didn't escape her. A history that had led to them knowing each other better than anyone else. She couldn't help but feel a serious pang of fondness for him then, with his scruffy morning hair and his sleepy eyes. That was probably why she was finished stretching for the time being and found herself standing barely a foot away from, smiling up at his face with a sudden urge to play.

''But can you tell _what_ I'm thinking?'' she asked him, dropping her voice a few octaves.

Tony's eyes gave her a quick once over. ''Hmm.''

''Hmm?''

''Right now?''

She felt her smile turn from the enticing one she'd been going for initially to something more genuine. Damn Tony and his insistence on catching her out every time. ''Yes. If you are such a good agent.''

His first smile of the day made her stomach do a little flip. ''That's easy.''

''Then tell me.''

''You're thinking about me,'' he stated confidently.

And Ziva had to admit that also caught her off guard a little bit. Because maybe he could read her mind after all. She was going for playfulness to cover up the all the heart-fluttering, warmth and general affection she'd been wrestling with ever since Tony stepped out of his apartment building that morning, but maybe he could see right through that. She felt her smile drop as they stared at each other for what felt like a week. God, it was definitely too early to be thinking. Especially in his presence.

''And how good I look in these shorts,'' Tony finally added.

Ziva blew out a breath—whether in relief or disappointment, she wasn't sure—before giving him the eye-roll he'd surely been expecting. His smile was all too smug, so she reached over and patted his belly to knock him down a peg or two.

''Very special, indeed,'' she teased.

She felt him tense under her touch. ''My ego remains intact,'' he warned her.

''We will see about that after we finish my route.''

He made a half-hearted attempt to stretch his arms and roll his shoulders as she stepped away from his personal space. ''Why do I feel like we're going to end up halfway to Canada before you're satisfied?''

''I promise we will stay in DC. But it's quite scenic. You'll like it.'' She reached down to touch her toes, keeping her legs straight and choosing to not really care about the view this particular stretch gave her partner from behind her. She could feel exactly where his eyes were.

''Can't be better than this scenery.''

Ziva stood back up properly and span around to aim an unimpressed look at him. ''I see you are starting to wake up.'' She glanced down at his crotch in an effort to bait him.

He didn't fall for it. ''I think your eyes might be playing tricks on you.''

She tilted her head at him. ''Are you ready? Or would you like me to do some more stretching?''

Tony chuckled, not even bothering to look ashamed of being caught staring at her. ''Ready when you are, coach.''

''Are you sure? I would not want you tripping up over your laces.''

That earned her a bark of over-exaggerated laughter. ''I triple knotted. Like a big boy.''

She reached over to pat his cheek. ''I'm so proud.''

''For the record,'' he began, grabbing on to her wrist and leveling her with a stern look to showcase his fake-seriousness. ''I'm expecting you to buy me a huge breakfast after this. If I survive, that is.''

''OK. Deal,'' She lifted a warning finger in the air from behind his knuckles. '' _If_ you behave yourself.''

He let go of her wrist and gave her his best attempt at a charming smile. It really didn't help get rid of all the mushy-mushy feelings she was having for him that morning, but she wasn't about to let him know that. Instead, she just raised an eyebrow again, daring him to challenge her as she'd done earlier. This time, she knew he was awake enough to fight back.

Sure enough, he did. ''Also for the record, your shorts are very tight.''

Ziva snorted, in spite of herself. ''That is not a good start.''

''What can I say? It's a welcome sight at five in the morning.''

''I am already starting to regret this.''

Tony held up his hands in surrender and apology. ''OK. OK, I'm sorry,'' he said, with enough sincerity in his voice to suggest he was keen to retain her company. ''Lead the way.''

''Of course.'' She started jogging on the spot. ''So you can stare at my ass, yes?''

''Because it's your route,'' he insisted.

She winked at him. ''Just try to keep up.''

As Ziva set off at relatively fast pace, she could hear Tony mumbling something about 'damn early birds' as he stumbled after her. It forced a smile out of her, as was often the case with so many of the things he said or did, and she realised that maybe this arrangement would end up benefiting the both of them. Even if she could definitely still feel his eyes on her butt.


	2. 2200

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Setting: season 7, I reckon

Tony's stomach grumbled again—even more emphatically than the last time—and he stared at the clock on his computer screen. Once the digits stopped being a bunch of blurry lines, it read 2159. He scoffed inwardly, glaring at the offending numbers and daring them to tick over again. _Daring_ them. The turn of the hour would mark another unwanted landmark in his day, as his empty stomach kept reminding him. Fourteen hours since the last time he ate something. God, that breakfast burrito felt like a lifetime ago. If he'd known how the day would go, he would have nursed it over the course of the day. As it happened, he just about inhaled it.

The clock flashed in the corner of his monitor. 2200.

His fist hit the desk.

''Did the desk look at you the wrong way, Tony?''

He looked up at Ziva, who was sitting across from him with her hands on her head as she lounged back. It was pretty clear that she was trying not to smile. It was also clear that she could sense his deteriorating mental state. She was probably aware of exactly why that was the case, too. Damn her, and that stupid salad thing she'd eaten a few hours ago. He knew he should have pinched some.

''You're the only one looking at me the wrong way,'' he all but growled.

There it was. That little smile she'd been fighting back. It pulled at the corner of her mouth for just a second. Just long enough to drive him crazy in about six different ways. Admittedly, not all bad ones.

''You don't usually mind it.''

''Yeah? Well, I don't appreciate the smug looks.''

That earned him a frown, and her hands fell from her head and found her own desk as she leaned forward. ''And I don't appreciate the crankiness. It is like working with a toddler.''

Now he kind of missed the smiling, but his brain wouldn't allow him to focus on that. ''That's easy for you to say, Little Miss Cobb salad,'' he bit back. ''Do you know the last time I ate?''

''Yes. 0800. You have mentioned it once or twice,'' she pretended to think for a moment. ''Or was that a hundred times? I lost count!''

Tony gave in to the sudden urge to violently jab the space bar on his keyboard a few times. It was therapeutic. Maybe. He was vaguely aware that Ziva's expression had now morphed into something much closer to bemusement as she looked on at his descent into madness. Surely she knew how insane a hungry DiNozzo could be after working with one for nearly five years? Well, if not, she was about to find out the hard way. Fourteen hours since his last significant meal was almost uncharted waters.

''It's a good thing McGeek's not here, or else I'd probably eat him.''

Ziva snorted, still yet to take her eyes off him as he continued to type complete gibberish into his keyboard. ''Use the vending machine,'' she offered helpfully. Or, at least, that was how he decided to interpret her tone, which was more like a harsh order in reality.

He groaned at the ceiling. ''I need something hot.''

''Oh, Lord…'''

''Hot and greasy. Not candy.''

She fell back into her chair, hands held up in defeat. ''Well, I don't know!'' She surrendered, just as he gave the J key a particularly good pounding. ''Breaking your computer will _no_ t help.''

An idea shot into his head then, and his own expression must have changed this time because when he looked down from the ceiling and back to Ziva, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. ''I've still got…'' he glanced at his screen. ''Five searches left. You don't have any.''

''I am doing background checks.''

''Right. So—hypothetically—if you were to slip out for ten minutes—''

''No.''

He all but whined at her. ''Come on, Ziva. I'll owe you one.''

Again, she leaned forward with a glare. ''You called me smug.''

''I didn't mean it.''

''Ha!''

''I meant to say you looked pretty.'' He actually winced at his own pathetic attempt to win her over, but he was getting desperate. ''Really pretty.''

Her eyes narrowed further. ''And it was a caesar salad. Not cobb.''

''Whatever. Please? I'll take a McDonalds at this point.''

Ziva surprised him then, because rather than continue to take exactly zero of his crap, she tilted her head and gave him a look that he found kind of hard to read. It was somewhere between amused, disgusted and sympathetic. The other two, he dealt with on a daily basis, but the sympathy? He couldn't quite decide if he was imagining that part or not. He liked to think he knew all her Ziva-isms pretty well, but he wasn't sure he'd earned this. In fact, he knew he definitely didn't.

''I told you, we could have stopped on the way back from the crime scene,'' she reminded him.

Tony let out a sigh as heavy as his defeat. ''I was so naïve and innocent back then.''

Ziva rolled her eyes, and decided he was no longer worth the attention. He felt mildly betrayed that she would choose her monotonous work over him, and barely registered the fact that the elevator had dinged behind her. In fact, his exhausted eyes only stopped being glued to his partner's face when a familiar sports jacket blocked their view. The smell of coffee assaulted his nostrils, but it was the smell of what was in the accompanying plastic bag that had Tony sitting up suddenly.

He was like a dog. Head up, tongue almost out.

''Bon Appetit, DiNozzo'' Gibbs huffed.

Two greasy bags were dumped on Tony's desk, and he had to take a moment just to bask in their glory. Part of him wondered if he'd passed out and was now dreaming. He knew it had to be real, though, because Gibbs never featured in his dreams. Ziva on the other hand…

_Stop it. Food time._

He began to unwrap the bigger of the two gifts and was hit with a smell so wonderfully unhealthy that he almost whimpered. ''I think I love you, boss.''

''Don't look at me.'' Gibbs placed a cup of what looked like tea on Ziva's desk. ''Your partner here texted me about half an hour ago.''

Tony looked up from his food in shock.

''Where's McGee?'' Gibbs asked.

''Abby's lab,'' Ziva told him.

With a nod, their boss was gone again.

Ziva took a sip of her tea and smiled to herself. It wasn't a smug smile this time. No, it was one of her happy little smiles that always made Tony's chest get all tingly. And the tingly-ness was only intensified by her gesture. It brought a smile to his face that he wouldn't dare fight off. She apparently _did_ know how insane he got when he was hungry, and had clearly taken it upon herself to be pro-active in fighting against said insanity without him even knowing. Sneaky ninja.

''You played me.'' It was more in admiration than accusation.

Her eyebrows rose up and fell again. ''Philly cheese-steak and curly fries. That should be sufficiently greasy for you.''

His smile grew after he'd ripped enough of the paper to access the sandwich. ''I'm touched.''

The first bite of the cheese-steak, after he'd sunk his teeth into it like a Pit bull, was practically orgasmic. The groan he let out was at the complete opposite end of the spectrum from table manners, and he was surprised Ducky didn't teleport in front of him just to tell him off. He couldn't care less.

''Well, it was either feed you, or kill you.''

Tony swallowed. ''Is there not a third option?''

Her gaze turned sultry—for just long enough that he could catch it—before it returned to something a little safer. ''With you? Never.''

He raised an eyebrow at her before digging into the curly fries. ''Looks like I owe you one after all.''

''I could hear your stomach from where I'm sitting.'' Her focus returned to her screen once again. ''I was doing _myself_ a favour.''

She could spin it however she wanted, Tony would let it slide. He was enjoying the hell out of his food. And he found himself shooting her another half-fond, half-impressed look before he could help himself. ''I can't believe you got Gibbs to do a food run.'' He shook his head in awe, no longer bothering to swallow his food before he spoke. ''And by text, no less!''

Ziva simply shrugged. ''I like to live dangerously. Yes?''

He grinned, appreciating the Bond quote.

Appreciating _her_ even more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very random, I know. Again. I guess that's the point? Hope all you lovely people enjoyed it, nonetheless


	3. 0600

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Major fluff warning!

~~~~The soft thud.

A door creaking.

Light footsteps creeping their way along the hall.

_It's time._

Ziva couldn't help but smile to herself when she heard the inevitable sequence of noises. It wasn't enough to wake her sleeping partner—almost nothing was these days—but she herself could hear it all with such clarity that she could practically see it in her head. The excitement had been palpable for days now. Lord only knew what they were in for today. And that was why she'd been awake for an hour now, keeping an ear out for the oncoming wake-up call.

With a soft exhale, she turned to Tony. His mouth was hanging open, his hair was sticking up in all sorts of directions, and he was snoring into the morning air. This only made Ziva smile again, not least because she had to wake him up now.

''Tony,'' she whispered, along with a gentle shake of his shoulder.

He merely grunted in between snores.

Ziva sighed to herself and shook him harder. ''Wake up.''

The mulled wine from the night before must have knocked him right out because there was still no sign of him rising from his slumber any time soon. After rolling her eyes to herself, Ziva decided to go for a change of tactics. There was always one sure-fire way to get Tony's attention, even when he wasn't technically conscious. She shuffled closer to him and leaned over to give him a heavy, slow kiss. She lingered just long enough to make him think she was waking him up for a very different reason.

Sure enough, that earned her a moan of intrigue.

''Tony?''

''Hmm.''

She kissed him again for good measure. ''I think we have to get up.''

He still hadn't opened his eyes yet, but a look of pure disdain morphed his features at the prospect. ''Time?''

She glanced at the alarm clock on their bedside table. ''0530.''

This time his eyes opened by just a whisker. ''We said six.''

''It's in the right ball-park.''

''Nope.''

Ziva chuckled quietly. ''She is already outside our door listening.''

That was enough for him to finally wake up. His eyes were practically bulging out of his head, in fact, as he lifted it to look towards the doorway. She could see the defeat in them, even before he let out a heavy sigh. When his head hit the pillow again he stared up at the ceiling and groaned as if the fresh smile on his face didn't completely betray him.

''We're in trouble now.''

After giving his chest a soft pat, Ziva looked over to their door again. ''Any second.''

He yawned. ''What's holding her back?''

''She is making sure we're awake.''

''That's never usually been something she takes into consideration.''

She smiled fondly. ''She's growing up.''

That earned the ceiling another grin from Tony. ''I know. I don't like it.''

They both shared a look of understanding just as the handle turned and a familiar figure appeared from the other side of their door. Much like her father, Tali had a habit of radicalising her hairstyle in her sleep. Something told Ziva that a hairbrush would be the last thing their daughter would be interested in today. Hell, they probably wouldn't even get her to sit still for the next week.

''Ima?''

She squeezed Tony's shoulder as she sat up. ''Good morning.''

Tali smiled at her, but it fell when her eyes switched to Tony. ''Is Daddy awake?''

''I think so.''

''No. Daddy is not awake,'' Tony informed them. ''Daddy is very much asleep.''

That was all the permission Tali needed to venture further into the room, and she laughed as she approached Tony's side of the bed. ''No, you're not. You're talking.''

Ziva smiled at Tony's resulting frown. ''I am?''

Tali hit his head with Kelev a few times to emphasise her point. ''It's Christmas Day!''

''But it's still night-time,'' Tony said, playing dumb.

''No! My clock is pointing near the six! We said six, right Ima?''

The excitement in her daughter's eyes never failed to make Ziva all warm and fuzzy inside, and she couldn't help but side with the child on this occasion. ''That _is_ what we agreed.''

Tali bounced up and down on her feet. ''We need to see if Santa came!''

With a soft grunt—one that didn't go unnoticed to Ziva—Tony sat up and reached over to smooth down some of her wayward curls. ''But have you been naughty or nice? That's the question.''

Ziva rolled her eyes.

The look he received was far from impressed. ''Daddy, I'm always nice.''

''He knows you are, sweetie,'' Ziva assured her. ''He's just being silly.''

Tony laughed as he swung his legs out from under the covers and stood up. He tussled her hair on the way to fetch some clothes. Tali decided that this left her with the irresistible opportunity to jump on to his vacated side of the bed and bounce over to her mother with a squeal of delight. It was only when little arms were thrown around her that Ziva realised she was being attacked by a hug.

''Merry Christmas, Ima.''

The surprisingly soft tone caught Ziva out, somewhat, because she hadn't expected it from an excited child on Christmas morning. For some reason it brought a lump to her throat and made her eyes slightly misty before she could truly justify it. Maybe it didn't need justification, though. Maybe, as she sat there embracing the most precious thing in the world on Christmas Morning, it was the simplicity—the normality, even—of the moment that had caught her off guard. This was a hugely significant day for Ziva, and it seemed that Tali could feel that, even if she didn't fully understand it.

This year they were whole.

''Merry Christmas, my child.''

Tali pulled back with a grin. ''I think Santa came.''

''Oh you do, hmm?''

She nodded. ''I hope he got you presents, too.''

Ziva kissed her forehead. ''Shall we find out?''

From over Tali's shoulder, Ziva could see Tony smiling down at them after he'd wrestled himself into some jeans and a t-shirt. ''Your mom has _definitely_ been naughty.''

Ziva raised her eyebrows at him just as Tali turned around. ''No, she hasn't!''

The victorious smile Ziva then sent his way let him know that the girls would always have each other's backs. That didn't seem to bother Tony too much, though, as he rubbed his hands together, signalling at least some of his true excitement levels. They were so alike, the way their moods could fill an entire room and infect everyone around them. It was something Ziva loved about both of them. In fact, she suspected Tony was probably just as excited as their daughter.

Well, maybe not quite.

Tali was on the carpet beside him in a flash. ''Let's go—let's go—let's go!''

''Do you think he saw our sign?''

''He's magic, Daddy.''

''Oh, yeah,'' he smirked. ''How could I forget?'' Once he gestured towards Ziva, she took it as her cue to get to her feet and reach for her dressing gown. ''We'll all go together, OK?'' she heard Tony add from behind her.

''OK.''

''Good girl.''

Ziva stepped into her slippers and joined them in the doorway, the warmth and fuzziness being dialed up to the max when she looked at both their faces. This was everything she had fought for. Her whole world was in this little Parisian apartment and she once again thanked the powers to be that she was here. The weight of the occasion threatened to overwhelm her, and she could tell Tony could sense it when his look softened significantly.

''You ready?'' he asked her.

She reached over to run her hand over his shoulders. It grounded her. ''Yes.''

He gave her a smile that was full of understanding, before looking back to Tali. She was practically squirming by this point. ''OK, Tali-Di, lead the way.''

She shot off down the hall like a one hundred metre sprinter, and they had barely travelled a few feet in her wake before they heard a shriek of pure glee that made Ziva stop in her tracks. Judging by Tony's face, however, this was par for the course. She'd never known a DiNozzo to be so full of energy before 6am.

''I knew he would come!''

They both smiled. It was only a few minutes later that Ziva allowed herself to shed a few tears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uber mushy, I know. But I just need this little family to be happy, goddamn it!

**Author's Note:**

> There will be more unrelated one-shots. I'm kind of just making it up as I go along


End file.
